1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a clamping element for fastening an electrical conductor on a printed circuit board. The invention furthermore is directed to a fastening system for an electrical conductor on a printed circuit board, and to a method for fastening an electrical conductor on a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many years electronic circuits have been used in the automotive sector, with such electronic circuits usually being arranged on printed circuit boards and serving the purpose of controlling a large number of functions in the automobile. With the increased development of electrically driven vehicles, this tendency is increased, with the demand for currents with high current intensities to be fed, controlled and transmitted increasing, in addition to the demand for the reliability of the circuits. Until now, the printed circuit boards have been connected to the electrical conductors by means of soldering methods. These methods are relatively difficult to automate and generally increased contact resistances arise at the soldered joints, which can lead to the joints being heated, especially when electrical currents with a high current intensity are transmitted. The heating of these joints between the printed circuit board and the electrical conductor can result in the joint being destroyed, which in any case needs to be avoided. In accordance with the prior art, electrical lines with a greater cross section and larger soldered joints on the printed circuit board have simply been used in order to avoid such overheating of the joint between the electrical conductor and the printed circuit board. In the case of a large number of joints between electrical conductors and printed circuit boards in modern motor vehicles, this overdimensioning of the conductors and the joints has a not inconsiderable influence both on the weight of the overall vehicle and on the manufacturing costs of the electrical and electronic systems.